I’m very blessed to have two smart adult daughters. They sometimes make suggestions (or lovingly enlighten me about myself), and I figure that if I ever expect them to listen to my advice it’s only fair that I respect their wisdom too. When my older daughter Jessi recommended that […]
Category: Sisters in Christ
Domestic Violence: A Christian Issue
I’m heading over to Charlottesville’s Shelter for Help in Emergency this Friday night for my monthly volunteer shift, so the topic of domestic violence is on my mind. Plus, I wanted to share some thoughts on this issue before October ends. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how important […]
5 Scriptures I Finally Stopped Cowering Behind
As a student and follower of Jesus for most of my life, I have wanted my behavior to reflect his teachings. Sometimes in my efforts to obey Jesus, however, I have used his teachings in ways he did not intend. I confess that I have misused scripture as a cover […]
A Toe Back in the Water
OK. Deep breath. I think I can do this. I haven’t written a post for this blog since last April. Some things in my life got too overwhelming, and once I quit, I couldn’t find my way back here again. Because other people are involved, I am still not at […]
Sisters in Christ – Part 6
From Fear to Trust In my previous post I suggested that our tendency to judge each other is one barrier against close relationships with our Christian sisters. We also, sometimes, inadvertently come off as disapproving or condemning, even though it’s the furthest thing from our minds. Communicating love and acceptance […]
Sisters in Christ – Part 5
Relationship Barriers Are you a judgmental person? Of course not! No Christian woman wants to think of herself that way. Yet, ask your average non-Christian young adult and you won’t like the answer. Eight in 10 of them believe judgmental is an apt label for Christians (according to studies in […]
Sisters in Christ – Part 4
So Much More than Friends Fifth grade will always live in infamy in my memory as a year of friendship failure. The teacher had handpicked seven of us from his fourth-grade class to return as fifth graders in an experimental split-grade classroom: four boys and three girls off in a […]
Sisters in Christ – Part 3
WWJD and Our Sister Relationships For the past decade or so I have worked with a professor who greatly admires Jim, a former dean of our school. When this professor finds himself in a complex professional situation, he tells me he asks himself, “What would Jim do?” There’s an ornery […]
Sisters in Christ – Part 2
Jesus and Sisters Ladies, when is the last time you turned to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John for guidance on building stronger connections with Madelyn, Maia, Lakeesha, and Joan? In the past, I would never have expected to glean anything from the Gospels that would help strengthen my relationships with […]
Sisters in Christ – Part 1
For the first time in my life, I have multiple Christian women in my life whom I can talk to and listen to, who are supportive partners in ministry, allies I can lean on, learn from, and trust to have my back. Some women challenge me to grow, and some […]